Belling the cat

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Mahmudur Rahman
It may be a coincidence of sorts in terms of revelation but there's nothing new about government organisations not paying their bills and even taxes to the government. Every now and then thanks to the transparency provided by parliament such matters do come to the fore. If anything it gives the citizen new reasons to think about why they should pay their bills in time when the government does not. It may be a sub-continent ritual because India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are guilty of such anomalies.
Telecom Minister Raziuddin Raju informed parliament that the list of defaulters in terms of telephone bills includes the Prime Minister's Office, the President's Office, the Anti-Corruption Commission and interestingly enough even the telecoms ministry itself! The figure of total default is reportedly a whopping $ 10 million. If that's a shocker, Pakistan's energy minister dropped a bombshell when he declared that the government, the presidency, the supreme court and the armed forces had unpaid electricity bills amounting to $ 2.0 billion.
The Pakistan government must have been truly embarrassed given that it has recently launched an advertising campaign warning that defaulters may even spend jail time. Having said that, it is unlikely that anyone in government or the armed forces will actually go to jail for institutional rather than personal default. The courts of course reign supreme.
A consumer of Dhaka's erratic utility services was amused to receive a demand for Tk. 39 with the usual warning that unless the bill was settled by a specific date, connections would be severed. Amid the maze of illegal connections and unpaid (or privately settled) bills and a plethora of connections that simply don't work, the consuming public can merely shrug their shoulders. The government is installed by the people to ensure the country's overall development, not to skimp on paying bills. And it isn't funny when lawmakers get away without paying their bills while holding the prestigious position of a Member of Parliament.
In all these years only two major institutions, the Chittagong City Corporation and another in probably Rajshahi had had their electricity connections severed leading to a quick payment of debt. Whether the government will allow its telephone connections to be cut or lawmakers penalised for such deviation from the law remains to be seen. The prospect is unlikely.
(The writer is a former Head of Corporate & Regulatory Affairs of British American Tobacco Bangladesh, former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bangladesh Cricket Board and specializes in corporate affairs, communications and corporate social responsibility. He can be reached at e-mail: mahmudrahman@gmail.com)